Vargas
(Philip Locke)
One of Largo's henchmen, tall with a balding head. He doesn't drink, smoke or make love, which is enough to make Bond dislike him on sight! It's never said what his passions are, but since he is the one who attempts to interrogate Paula Caplan (who then kills herself), they're unlikely to be pleasant. After Bond tells Domino the truth about Largo, Vargas attempts to sneak up on him and kill him - however, Bond is faster, and impales the killer against a tree with a harpoon gun. (TB)

Varzov, Sergei
(Michael Billington)
Anya Amasova's lover, and a fellow KGB agent. He has to leave her to go on a mission in Austria - a mission that involves killing James Bond. Sergei leads a ski chase down a mountainside, but is killed by Bond's rocket-firing ski-stick. (TSWLM)

Vasily, General
Director of Military Intelligence at the Russian consulate in Istanbul. (FRWL)

Vavra
(Francis De Wolff)
Head of the gypsies whom Bond helps defend against the attack by Krilencu's men. As a reward, Vavra makes Bond his 'son'. (FRWL)

VA 402
Registration of the British spy trawler St Georges. (FYEO)

Velkirsch
Small town near Piz Gloria where Bond hopes to telephone London, to warn MI6 about Blofeld's virus plot. (OHMSS)

Venice International Grandmasters Championship
World-class chess competition held in Venice. The final game is between Kronsteen and Macadams. (FRWL)

Venetian Octavo
An Italian type size, used on the blueprints for Stromberg's submarine tracking system. (TSWLM)

Venini Glass
A Venetian glass-blowers and museum, owned by Drax. The factory is where the hexagonal cannisters for Drax's nerve gas are being manufactured, while the museum sees a battle between Bond and Chang. (MR)

Ventilation Ducts
A Bond cliche, you might think, but Bond actually only grovels around inside them to penetrate a villain's lair once. You're thinking of Mission: Impossible. (DN)

Venz
(Dolph Lundgren)
One of General Gogol's bodyguards, who accompanies him to France to confront Zorin about his unauthorised activities. (AVTAK)

Very Pistol
Distress flare gun used by Bond to ignite the leaking fuel drums he'd dumped overboard, catching SPECTRE's pursuing boats in an inferno (FRWL). He is given a miniature version by Q in Nassau, which he uses to signal his position to Felix Leiter (TB).

Veyrot, Rene
A Parisian florist whose van Bond very nearly crashes into in his pursuit of May Day. (AVTAK)

VF400
British United Air Ferries flight to Geneva, taken by Auric Goldfinger, his henchman and his car. (GF)

Vicar
(Fred Bryant)
The clergyman at the church where Tracy Bond is buried; he gives a message to Bond that he is needed at the 'office'. Since the message is bogus and the vicar makes the sign of the cross before takeoff, it's possible (if unlikely) that he is working for Bond's enemies. (FYEO)

Vice-Admiral
(Noel Johnson)
Second-in-command of Britain's naval forces, after the First Sea Lord. His first name is Jack. (FYEO)

Vida
(Aliza Gur)
One of the gypsy girls involved in a fight over who would win a certain man. Bond helps decide the matter, in his own inimitable way. (FRWL)

Vijay
(Vijay Amritraj)
Bond's first contact in India, who describes himself as a 'special expeditor' for Universal Exports. He works for Station I, under the command of Sadruddin. When not pretending to be a snake charmer (not a good cover - he hates snakes) he acts as the part-time tennis pro at Kamal Khan's club. He helps Bond escape from some of Khan's killers, but suffers horribly for this when he is captured by Gobinda's men while watching the Floating Palace, being attacked and mortally wounded by a thug's lethal yoyo. He clings onto life just long enough to tell Q who his killers were. (OP)

Vio Tarpiespa (?)
A wine that Bond prefers over Kristatos's recommendation. (FYEO)

Virus Omega
Blofeld's sterility virus, which can be genetically engineered to affect specific species of plants or animals. (OHMSS)

VN75WB
Registration of Kamal Khan's private plane, in which he and Gobinda try to flee along with the captured Octopussy. (OP)

Vodka Martini
Medium dry and shaken, not stirred, often with lemon peel, this is the preferred tipple of 007. (DN)

Vodka, Russian
For Bond, the only kind of vodka worth drinking. (YOLT)

Vodka, Siamese
A less palatable variety Bond discovers in Mr Osato's office. (YOLT)

Voice Box
A small electronic device that uses recorded speech patterns to alter the sound of a person's voice. Blofeld uses one attached to the telephone in his impersonation of Willard Whyte, while his double has a smaller version implanted in his neck. Bond turns the tables by getting Q to provide a similar gadget so that he can impersonate Bert Saxby and trick Blofeld into revealing where Whyte is being kept. (DAF)

Volpe, Fiona
(Luciana Paluzzi)
One of SPECTRE's operatives - although her position in the organisation is never stated, she takes pleasure at one point from putting Largo in his place. Fiona is beautiful and deadly - she manipulates Derval into a position where he can be killed, and kills Lippe herself after his failure. As well as driving dangerously fast, she is a crack shot - unfortunately, her henchmen aren't, one of them shooting her dead instead of Bond on the dance floor of the Kiss Kiss club. It is possibly Fiona's attitude that gives Bond his disapproval of redheads. (TB)

Von Schlaff, Contessa Lisl
(Cassandra Harris)
Columbo's mistress, ostensibly an Austrian countess. In reality, she's from Liverpool, her Scouse accent slipping through after a few drinks. She sometimes helps Columbo out at the casino he secretly part-owns, by encouraging men like Bunky to keep on betting. When Columbo discovers that Bond is a spy who may try to kill him, he gets Lisl to seduce him in order to find out more about him - Bond realises it's a set-up, but is more than willing to go along with it. Next morning, though, Lisl is killed by Locque in a dune buggy attack. (FYEO)

Von Zahn, Dr
The chief medical officer at Piz Gloria. (OHMSS)

Vulcan Bomber
Part of the British arm of NATO's air arm, the Vulcan is a large delta-wing bomber designed to carry nuclear weapons. One is hijacked by Angelo as part of SPECTRE's NATO Project. (TB)

V99060
Registration number of the motorboat that pursues Bond's gondolier through the waterways of Venice. (MR)